EXPRESSION OF PLACENTAL PROTEIN-14 BY THE NEW ENDOMETRIAL CANCER CELL-LINE MFE-280 IN-VITRO AND BY ENDOMETRIAL CARCINOMAS IN-VIVO

MFE-280 endometrial cancer cells express PP14 (placental protein 14) i n vivo. PP14 is normally found in the secretory endometrium and in pla cental tissue. MFE-280 cells, which are tumorigenic in nude mice, were derived fi om a recurrent, poorly differentiated endometrial carcinom a. The cells were initially grown in suspension culture and later tran sferred to monolayer cultures. Karyotyping revealed near-diploidy with a complex heterogeneous aberration pattern. MFE-280 cells were positi ve for the cytokeratins 7, 8, 18 and 19 as well as for vimentin. The e xpression of PP14 in MFE-280 cells was demonstrated by immunochemistry and reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. PP14-mRNA was al so detected in one out of five endometrial cancer specimen. In tumor t issue the expression of PP14 was not dependent on progestins.